Check out Rick Haglund's recent MLive article at the link below.
http://www.mlive.com/lansing-news/index.ssf/2014/02/rick_haglund_heres_why_a_colle.html
Creating a culture of college degree attainment is a major emphasis for Lawton Community Schools. Check out Rick Haglund's recent MLive article at the link below. http://www.mlive.com/lansing-news/index.ssf/2014/02/rick_haglund_heres_why_a_colle.html So, what exactly do teachers do on a Professional Development Day? The simple answer is that they engage in activities intended to improve their skill as teachers as well as the overall operation of each school and the district as a whole. On our most recent P.D. day (Feb. 17), the activities included:
With the momentum of Conference, District and Regional Championships behind them, the outstanding Blue Devil Wrestling Team is now headed to the Kellogg Arena to compete with the best Div. 4 teams in Michigan for a state title. It has been many years since Lawton Wrestling has achieved this level of team achievement.
These young men and their coaches provide us with a great example of how hard work pays off. They also serve as a model of the excellence we strive for in the athletic arena and the classroom. Thank you to Bangor High School for hosting a great meet and for allowing me the great honor of personally handing these student-athletes their regional medals. Congratulations to the athletes, the coaches and the dedicated fans who have supported them! Best of luck at Team State! Sometimes school administrators need reminders of why we do what we do. This week I was invited by Preschool Teacher Kim Emmert to spend some quality time with her GSRP class. Thank you Kim for providing me with this opportunity to connect with our youngest students. As an Elementary Principal, spending time with students was a daily occurrence which honestly I may have taken a bit for granted. As Superintendent, these moments are less frequent but cherished nonetheless.
The excitement and unconditional approval that these young children provide is refreshing and helpful in my attempts to remain focused on the true reason I chose this field. The activity on this day - graphing favorite popcorn flavors, followed of course by eating the popcorn! As their education progresses, it will soon be chapter books and multiplication facts followed by research projects and term papers. And I intend to enjoy the ride along with these fantastic youngsters. What a great atmosphere! Despite winter homecoming festivities and contests being moved to a Monday night due to weather, Blue Devil fans showed up in great numbers to support the teams and the homecoming court. This event also marked the annual observance of the Coaches vs. Cancer awareness event with many in the crowd proudly sporting pink attire. A special shout out to the student section who really brought the noise in support of our players. The band also did a great job of entertaining the crowd. I really enjoyed the guitar rendition of Crazy Train by Daniel Packer and William Medsker. Thank you to all Blue Devil fans! Your support helped our players put forth a fantastic effort falling just short against the favored Lawrence Tigers.
Mark your calendars for Thursday 2/6 as the SAC Champion Wrestling team travels to Decatur in pursuit of a District title! Many of you are probably wondering how our school calendar might be affected by the high number of school days that have been canceled this winter. Here is what we know as of January 30, 2014.
Pink Floyd fans undoubtedly recognized the headline of this post as a lyric from their popular song, "Another Brick In The Wall". You are probably thinking "where on earth is he going with this post?". Those familiar with the song remember the lyrics "Hey teacher leave them kids alone" - still confused? OK, let me get to the point.
This week I was fortunate to attend the winter conference of the state superintendent's association. While I attended several helpful training sessions, the highlight of the event was without a doubt 17 year old Adora Svitak with whom I am pictured above. Adora is a high school senior from Seattle who travels the country presenting on how to make education more meaningful to children. This amazing young woman was reading as a 2 year old, writing at 4 and has authored 3 books. And while that may not be typical of the majority of kids, Adora is to be commended for using her gifts to have a positive impact on the future of education. She is definitely not "another brick in the wall". The purpose of this post is not to condemn educators or what happens in our classrooms but rather a call for meaningful change. I believe that the vast majority of educators care deeply about the success of their students and would willingly embrace any change that improved the engagement and performance of their students. The best teaching involves committed, engaged teachers who are empowered to innovate and continually improve their craft. Teachers are cautioned not to read too much into my Wall analogy. However 47% of high school drop outs in the U.S. do so because they didn't find the educational experience purposeful or enjoyable. Somehow, as educators, we have to tap into our students' inner drive to learn and grow. And to do so, we need to put away the worksheets and give students a voice. Now I'll be the first to admit that in this era of strict standards, allowing students a say in what and how they learn is no easy task. But in the name of reaching every child, we must find a way. Students should enjoy school. And not because it is easy but because it is challenging, relevant and interesting. Every child should find a "home" at school. Every minute spent with our students is a gift and should be put to good use. I left this presentation more inspired than ever before to reach out to our students, to hear their voices and to improve the educational experience for all of them. Stay tuned for new posts that will highlight some of the "high interest" student activities happening in our schools. Anyone else ready for spring? I certainly am. My apologies to the winter sports enthusiasts out there but enough is enough! This winter has reminded many of us, myself included, of the Blizzard of 1978. At the time, I was in 7th grade at Northeastern Junior High in Kalamazoo. I know, the guy in the picture looks much older. Lucky for me (and my neighbors), I had an old snowmobile that I used to deliver groceries to many of my neighbors. I don't recall how many school days were canceled but as I recall it was nearly 2 weeks. I'm sure that like many kids I enjoyed the time off from school - at least for a few days. Which brings me to the purpose of this blog entry.
The decision on whether or not to close school is not an easy one nor is it taken lightly. Many factors are taken into consideration. They include:
In few athletic arenas can small schools such as Division 4 Lawton compete with Division I schools such as Forest Hills. But when it comes to the 2013-14 LHS Wrestling Team, no opponent seems unbeatable! The team is off to an amazing start and remains undefeated in dual meet competition.
On Wednesday January 15 I was proud to be amongst a loud and motivated Lawton crowd as we cheered for the boys against arch-rival Decatur. Decatur has set the standard for excellence in team wrestling for several years and everyone was there to see how the Devils stacked up against the Raiders. On this day, the team wrestled with heavy hearts and perhaps extra motivation in honor of Coach Bryan Sosinski who had passed away just days before the meet. Coach Sosinski left a significant impression on these boys and all who knew him. Our sincerest condolences go out to his family. Coach, this win was for you! After making short work of the Gobles squad in the evening's first match, the long awaited match with Decatur began. From the start you could tell this would be a dog fight. In the end the focus, conditioning and determination of the young Devils squad prevailed as they defeated the Raiders by a score of 48-26 with Lawton wrestlers winning 9 of the 14 weight classes. Lawton senior Austin Mayfield placed the exclamation point on the win when he battled back from a 7-2 deficit late in the final period to earn overtime where he quickly pinned his state ranked opponent - the crowd went wild! It truly was a great day to be a Blue Devil! Best of luck to the team as they prepare for a long post-season run. Recently I had the distinct pleasure of watching the Lawton Middle School Spelling Bee. What an intense competition! I was so impressed by and proud of the participants. I must admit that many of the words they spelled would've challenged my own spelling ability. Seeing the students competing in an academic setting was a great experience. As I watched I could not help but think of where these fine students might be 10 or even 20 years from now. I have great confidence that I was watching future college graduates who will be high achievers in their chosen field of study and work. Congratulations to the 15 finalists and to the top 3: Courtney Rueff, Ivy Strausberg, and Megan Dopheide each of whom will represent Lawton Middle School at the next level of competition. Thank you to LMS Teacher Shelley Klotz who is the staff advisor for the event and also to event moderator Dr. Dan Pratley who has served in this role now for 37 years! Now that's what I call community commitment.
|
AuthorRandom Thoughts will be shared here from time to time by Lawton Community Schools Superintendent Chris Rice. Archives
January 2019
Categories |